Restaurant Review: Tango Bistro

It could be due to the fact that summer is around the corner and I’m coming out of hibernation or the fact that I just enjoy good company, but I’ve found that I am consistently eating out recently. Personally I would like to blame it on the nice Calgary weather that we’ve been getting, but who am I kidding, the words nice and weather doesn’t ever work well together in the same sentence when the word Calgary is involved. So as to make myself feel better, I am going to strike out my first sentence and rewrite the beginning of this paragraph.

It could be due to the fact that our Calgary weather has been the pits lately or the fact that I just need the company, but yes, I have been eating out lots recently.

There we go, so the fact of the matter is still this…that I have been eating out lots recently, which is actually quite a treat with all the nice new restaurants in and around the city (but probably not so much to the waist line). In any case, the weather does perhaps either work for (motivate people to think pass the gloominess) or against (make a few more couch potatoes) people’s will to want to go out plus the restaurants wanting to try new things to keep bringing the crowds out, but I believe that if you’re a true Calgarian you’ll understand that we have to deal with this weather situation probably 50 out of the 52 weeks of the year, so why let the weather stop us from having our fun. Why not tell the weather that we’re better than it and step out and enjoy life? Oh and if you do, I would definitely suggest Tango.

Atmosphere: Fresh, hip and modern, a great meeting place for friends and groups wanting a bite.

Price Range: $10s


Food and Wine: When you’re first offered the menu at Tango, you’ll notice that there’s a number of intriguing items that you can’t wait to try. Yet they’re sectioned in to “Ours” which are marked as shareable and “Mine” meant to be served as single servings. The sections seemed a little perplexing but upon asking our server, she indicated that they’re all indeed shareable, so feel free to order anything off of the menu (as noted by the plating of all the pictures). After we were told that, there was really nothing holding us back at that point, the whole menu was fair game. We decided on a few different dishes, starting down the list with the Pulled Pork Sliders served with cole slaw and a sweeter sauce, which would almost be too much if it wasn’t for the smaller size of the sliders.

Next came the Bacon Wrapped, Chorizo Stuffed Medjool Dates, which was the perfect medley and the sweetness of the dates in this case became the star of the dish, making me look at dates in a whole new light (can somebody say date recipes to come soon to the blog?). The Lime Cured Prawn and Scallop Ceviche was a nice break from the more dominant flavours of the previous two dishes and almost became a nice palette cleanser of sorts. The prawns and scallops were done perfectly with just the right amount of citrus as not to overcome the delicate flavours of the seafood, the plantain chips was a playful touch.


Finally we decided last minute to order off of the “Mine” list and added the Mushroom and Truffle Gnocchi (people all know how much I love my gnocchi). Truffles are a delight and it gave the gnocchi a nice flavour and definitely works well with the mushrooms, seeing as they’re in the same family. The gnocchi themselves were a little softer than some that I’ve had before, but it could also be due to the fact that the dish was still piping hot when it was served, a feature that I really enjoyed about Tango.

We can’t forget the interesting desserts that were offered to us at the end of our meal. Instead of your conventional dessert platter or plating style, Tango has opted to go for “shots” where the desserts are served in 3 oz shot glasses, allowing you to try several different flavours without the overindulgence (I recommend the Mango)!

We didn’t get a chance to sample their wine varieties, but looking at the list, there seemed to be a good selection for the types of foods served.


My Picks: Bacon Wrapped, Chorizo Stuffed Medjool Dates

Overall: Since all the dishes are meant as tapas, I was pleasantly surprised at the portion sizes that were presented allowing a good sized group to share and try as many dishes as possible, plus with all the dishes coming out right after they’re freshly cooked and plated, you can truly enjoy them at their best!

Tango Bistro
6920 Macleod Trail South
Calgary, AB
(403) 252-4365
Website: http://www.tangobistro.com/